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December 12,2006 Some of us have been traveling quite a bit these past few months.  While we have a nice collection of travel gear we can pull from the equipment shelf, we have consistently chosen certain pieces every time we've travelled. We've been using the Slappa Fliptop to protect our laptop.  This case is basically a big shoulder bag, which is exactly why it is so versatile.  It's perfect for getting through airport security: the large flap makes it very easy to take the laptop in and out of the case. The Fliptop is large enough for most 15" laptops.  We paired the Slappa Fliptop with the Pacific Design's Nucleus case.  The Nucleus is just right for papers and other smaller bits. For transporting clothing and other travel items, we have been using the Slappa Bulkhead.  This case is just big enough for packing three days worth of clothing (2 shirts, pair of pants, etc...) and toiletries. The Slappa Bulkhead can also be separated into two pieces with just a quick unzip, perfect for slimming down if the trip is just a one-nighter.  While the outer case is better for clothing, it can also serve as a laptop carrier for the day.   The combination of the Pacific Design Nucleus, Slappa FlipTop Pro, and the Slappa BulkHead makes travelling just a bit easier... and a whole lot more stylish :-)  Go check out the other Slappa and Pacific Design offerings for all of your travel needs!   December 10,2006 Two years ago we went to the SOWA Holiday Show.  We missed it last year and quite a few of you wrote and wondered why.  I don't remember, but we made sure we stopped by and checked it out this year. This year's Holiday Market was held in the new gymnasium of Cathedral High School on Union Park Street in Boston's South End.  There were 75 vendors showing all different kinds of high quality gifts, such as affordable art by Kimberly of Miximals and handmade books by Rob Charlton of Goosefish Press. We were particularly taken by the pottery and sculptures by Steve Murphy.  Click on the various sculptures in the image above to get a closer look...there is more than meets the eye. Of course, it would not be a Holiday Show if there weren't some fun ornaments and related crafts!  The folks at SwirlyDesigns (one of our favorite local vendors) were at the Market with their latest creations. Our last stop of the day was the booth serving hot cocoa. If you love chocolate, then you should check out the delicious offerings from BestFriendsCocoa.  Their chocolates are all natural, fat free, and kosher certified.  They are also based out of Arlington MA :-)  We are going to have to get some for the RainyDayKitchen!   December 3,2006 One of the reasons why we haven't posted in a few days is because we have been traveling.  This weekend, a few of us were up in Portsmouth NH to take in some of their seasonal events (holiday parade, candlelight stroll at Strawbery Banke, etc...). We arrived on Friday during the pouring rain.  By Saturday, everything had dried and all of the festivities were in full swing.  Possibly everybody from the City of Portsmouth was either in or watching the parade. We stayed at a lovely place called the Martin Hill Inn, about 10 minutes from all of the above.  Some of us were completely charmed by the fact that the original house is just about 200 years old while others were delighted by it being so close to everything we wanted to do that we could walk to almost whatever we wanted. The bedroom (called "The Guestroom") had a wonderful four-poster bed and comfy armchairs for reading.  The Winter Parlor was the perfect place to peruse the papers (such as The New Hampshire Gazette - "If it was good enough for John Paul Jones to advertise in, it's good enough for you") while others became a dab hand at, er, absconding with the chocolate-chip cookies in the the Dining Room. When Carolyn is done with her lounging in the parlor, she will have a full write-up on the Martin Hill Inn and all of our activities from this  weekend over the course of next week.   November 25,2006 We heard about the tree lighting event in Roslindale Square just as we were heading out to run some errands.  Since it was on the way, we thought we would swing by to snap some pics of the start of the holiday season :-) It turned out to be a very pleasant little gathering.  The village green was alive with music and carolling.  The Mayor of Boston was there.  There were kids running around, making tree ornaments, or just waiting for Santa to show up. We were helping ourselves to some cookies and hot chocolate when a fire engine came howling down Cummins Highway.  Most of the kids knew right away it was Santa and ran to be the first in line to sit on his lap to tell him what they wanted for Christmas... others were just too tuckered out to care :-) One of the great things about Roslindale is the little section called Birch Street.  We told readers about this little shopping secret a few years back.  Erin, the owner of 18 Birch, has recently moved down a few doors to a larger spot on the corner. The new store (Birch Street Home & Garden) is bigger than before.  Click on the images to get a bigger look at the store.  There are tons of new and unique items which you just don't find anywhere else.  Many of RainyDayGarden folks plan to do quite a bit of their holiday shopping there :-) November 19,2006 This weekend Shobu Aikido of Boston had the pleasure of hosting Ikeda Sensei for the Fall Gasshuku.  The seminar was very well attended and there were a lot of positive enery on the mat all weekend long. In addition to the pleasure of receiving instructions from Ikeda Sensei, gasshuku time is also when students who have achieved ranks of brown or black belts test for the next rank.  There were quite a few higher level black belt tests this weekend, so it was especially thrilling for all who were able to attend.  Congratulations to all of the students who tested and advanced.   November 10,2006 Some of us were away on business Friday...which meant it was a good opportunity to take some of the gear and give a real road test.  We took with us the Slappa Hardbody FlipTop case, Pacific Design's Nucleus, the YES Cozmo watch, AnyCom keyboard, and the Etymotic earphones.  All frequent flyers know the importance of not checking bags unless absolutely necessary.  In order to do that, we limited ourselves to an overnight bag and a laptop case. The cases we decided on were the Pacific Design Nucleus and the Slappa FlipTop.  We had a change of clothing and the toiletries in the Slappa case.  The Slappa was light weight and easy to stow. The super slim Nucleus was perfect for carrying the electronics gear and an latest issue of MAKE magazine.  We found the two to be a great overnight travel combo. We wanted to know if we could get away with not taking a laptop with us on this day trip to Dallas.  To stay connected, we took the Blackberry and the AnyCom BT keyboard.  The problem was we didn't bring the instructions on how to power up the keyboard to connect to the BlackBerry...so that test was kind of a flop.   We are going to have to write the power-on key sequence (<Cntl><Left Fn><Right Fn>) on the back of the keyboard for next time. For sonic isolation during the flight, we brought along the iPod nano and the Etymotic ER6.  This combo worked GREAT.  The headphones were so comfortable that we had them in the entire 4 hours on both flights. To keep track of the proper time, we set the "AWAY" city to be Dallas and the Cozmo did the rest.  To we save ourselves some time, we printed our boarding pass before getting to the airport.  This saved us from having to wait online at the self-service kiosk.  The gate did change on us by the time we got there...so always double check when you arrive at the airport.  We were in and out of Dallas with no problems.  Both AA flights were ahead of schedule!  In fact, the only snag on this entire trip was getting home from Boston Logan at midnight.  There was a traffic jam inside the tunnel and it took us 20 minutes to crawl out of it.  It was a little frustrating that there was traffic in Boston even at midnight...at least most of the gear performed well :-)  Happy Flying!   November 8,2006 RainyDayMagazine congratulates Governor Elect Deval Patrick in his victory!  We look forward to a new and better future.  Sixteen years is too long for any one party to be in control.  We are happy to see some new thinking in the corner office.  Time to get to work.   November 6,2006 Want to make a difference? VOTE on Tuesday! If we don't exercise our right to vote on Tuesday then we are dishonoring the sacrifice of those who fought to give us that right. If you like the job your representatives have been doing, then send them back for another term. If you don't like what you have been seeing, then send somebody else. How great is that!!! Kids follow their parent's example. Set a good one. Take you kids with you and go vote!   October 29,2006 Last weekend we took in the beautiful Fall weather with a walk around Walden Pond.  We wanted to get back in time for the giant PumpkinFest in Boston, but we ended up bouncing around Concord instead. Some of the folks in the office were disappointed that we were not on hand to witness the record pumpkin lighting event in Boston, so were determined to find something similar.  What they came up with was a ride on the Great Pumpkin Express at Lookout Farm in South Natick, MA. The first "train" ride starts at 6PM.  We got there around 7PM. The crowd was pretty light and we got on the train without having to wait in line. Good thing too since it was about 40º out. There are anywhere from 3000 to 5000 pumpkins on display at any given time.  Click on any of the images to get a closer look.  The crew at Lookout Farm is constantly carving new ones.  It takes about 15 people about 90 minutes to light all the pumpkins every night. Many of the amazingly carved pumpkins are made by artists from around the country.  We saw a wide variety of themes and styles...some scary, some funny, all were beautifully done.  The Great Pumpkin Express was quite a treat and got everyone here in the right frame of mind for Halloween! The Great Pumpkin Express will run until Halloween (Tuesday).   There are events going on at the Outlook Farm all year around.  Check their calendar if you are looking from something fun to do for the whole family. October 22,2006 Today was one of those amazing New England weekends.  The temperature was perfect for a top-down drive.  We didn't want to spend the entire time on the road, so we packed up the car and took a forty minute drive out to Walden Pond.  We also thought it would be a good opportunity to give our new Canon IS2's "foliage" camera setting a workout.  We were quite impressed with the IS2's responsiveness, especially with the speed in which it was able to autofocus and capture this shot of the Great Blue Heron flying across Walden Pond.  The shutter lag was so minimal that we were able to shot reflexively... a key factor in capturing nature action shots. The "foliage" setting worked well with reflected colors as well as high contrast shots.  Some of the brighter areas did get washed out, but there was quite a bit of detail in the darker sections.  Quite acceptible for an "automatic" setting. On the grounds is a replica of the 10x15 "house" which Thoreau built in 1845 for $28.  The plans are available in the gift shop ($30) should you want to try your hand at building one. If you have time and can get out to Walden Pond, we would highly recommend it.  The colors are intense and the trails are quiet.  Spend a few hours experiencing what Thoreau must have felt over 150 years ago, then go get a latte at Starbuck's and get ready for Monday.   October 8,2006 (ColumbusDay Weekend) One of the reasons we rented this unit was the view.  The entire back of the house looks out over the Wells marsh.  Depending on the time of day, the tide can bring the water almost right up to the property... along with all kinds of wildlife. After a day of lounging on the deck watching the tide, we had worked up quite an appetite.  Even though some of us had lobster for lunch yesterday, the lobster dinner (for those of us who don't mind ripping into our food) is one of the group's Columbus Day weekend traditions.    October 7,2006 (ColumbusDay Weekend) We have a tradition of going up to Maine for Columbus Day weekend.  It used to be Monhegan Island, but we started stopping further South...mostly because we didn't want to drive that far.  Last year we rented a place called the Rock House in Ogunquit.  This year we found a great place in Wells, Maine. This rental had everything we were looking for.  A great kitchen, lots of lounging space, amazing views, and a two minute walk to the beach.  Another great advantage is Wells is less than a hundred miles from Boston...less than two hours door-to-door when the traffic is clear. Food is, of course, a huge part of the weekend.  For lunch, some of us went in search of the ultimate lobster sandwich.  We found a pretty good one at the Fisherman's Catch a few miles away. For Saturday's dinner, Irfan cooked up an amazing Indian spread.  Incredibly, all of us still managed to find room for pie :-) We would post some of the recipes if we could convince Irfan to share them :-)

September 10,2006 (WeekendEdition)

We attended two festivals yesterday.  They were both REALLY FUN and couldn't have been further apart on the spectrum.  The first was the PorscheFest at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum.  Folks arrived early to setup and do some final detailing.  Things were already buzzing by the time we arrived. It was great to see Porsches from a wide span of years represented.  The turn out was tremendous.  A lot had to do with the beautiful grounds of the Auto Museum, but a good part of it may be the incredible weather...high 70's and clear :-) The sunshine really made all of the Porsches in the competition sparkle. Click on any of the images to get a closer look.  There were a lot of different categories...we didn't paid too much attention to since we were there to stroll around and see if we could get some interesting shots.  Go here if you want to see more images of the PorscheFest. Someone working with Sony had sent us email informing us that they will be showing the mylo at Boston's CollegeFest.  Immediately, the guys were thinking...awesome, wonder if "Girls Gone Wild" or Maxim will be there??? Well, we didn't find Maxim, but another well known magazine was there.  The crowd was five deep to get in.  Kids were signing up for drawings, checking out what Boston had to offer, and getting tons of free stuff from the vendors. We did manage to locate the Sony booth and got a good look at the mylo.  The device was small with a surprisingly good color screen. The Sony mylo is a new class of device designed for those who lives "online".  The mylo communicator was designed for a constantly connected broadband world. A laptop is useful, but it is overkill for activities such as instant messaging, Skype calls, and email.  So if you find yourself wishing for something that will connect you without weighing you down, then check out the Sony mylo.  We'll give you a full review as soon as we get our hands on one!

August 22,2006

We all had a great time in LA courtesy of Kristin, but it was time to head back to see what the interns in Boston have been up to.  The LA office will take a few months to get going.  Kristin will be on her own until then :-)  We are sure she will be up to the task!  The new office has an awesome view.  The ride that came with it is not too shabby either.  Kristin assured us that everyone who is anyone rides in a limo in LA.  We defer to her judgement.  Kristin will have periodic updates to keep everyone current on her progress. To make sure things stay on track, we left behind one of our trusty RainyDayMagazine interns.  Sarah will be there for the next few years.  Sarah will also be writing for the Unaccompanied Minor section of RainyDayMagazine.  Look for her first contribution in Wednesday's edition!

August 20,2006

The pier and the beach are just a few blocks away from our hotel.  We spent the day walking around checking out the area.  It does look like a great place to set up shop.  Of course, we'll have to get use to the cafes, the 75º weather, and the good looking people everywhere.  One thing is for sure, we'll have to learn how to surf. One amazing thing about the beaches here is there aren't any biting insects in the sand...unlike the ones on the East Coast! No flies with giant green eyes, no tiny invisible gnats, and no fleas in the sand.  Amazing!!! What they do have are some pretty cute volleyball players...all over the place.  All right, we are SO moving here.

August 19,2006

Our base of operations in LA this weekend will be at the Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach.  This boutique hotel was discovered by Kristin, our new Contributing Editor for RainyDayLA.  We have a full weekend planned...dinners, shows, and a small wedding later today.  Should be quite a good time :-) We'll have a complete write-up of Shade once we get back to the office.  In the mean time, check out the room here!

August 18,2006

A few of us flew out to LA to flight to LA was out of JFK.  We had to stop by the the NY RainyDayMagazine office to pick up a few folks for the trip. The trip gave us a chance to test out a few of our clear travel cases from OtterBox.  The cell phone and RazrWire went on board with us in the 1000.  We had the DV camcorder in the OtterBox 3500 and was going to bring it through the security line, but had to put it in the check luggage at the last minute.  The gear and the case survived the trip with no problems. The brown haze over LA was a bit more pronounced today due to the lack of wind from the ocean moving it out of the valley.  Still, it was dry, 75º, and sunny, so it is going to be a great weekend :-)

August 12,2006

Air travel used to be fun, now it is more frustrating than anything else.  Still, there is no faster option when we have to get some place more than a few hundred miles away. One way frequent travelers have dealt with delays at the airport and luggage hassles was to travel light and never check their bags.  However, with the recent craziness, carry-on bags may someday become a thing of the past. Everyone knows there are some gear one should avoid putting in their checked baggage...things like cameras, iPods, cellphones.  However, we may have to check them in the future if security measures continues to be tighten. A good way to both protect our gear and to make it easy for the folks at airport security to check over our stuff is to put them in a clear protective case.  The ones we use are the strong polycarbonate cases from OtterBox.  The OtterBox cases are strong, water-tight, and CLEAR.  It makes for a much easier time in the security line.  Should we need to check the items, we know the boxes can take a beating when our bags are being tossed around by the luggage handlers.  Go here to check out other ideas for protecting your gear when trying to get from point A to point B.  If you have tips of your own, share them, and lets see if we can make going through the security checks a little easier for everyone.

August 5,2006

RainyDayMagazine's satellite office in New York is coming along: we got word that the DSL lines have been activated.  We are not sure if bitchin' and moanin' on the front page had anything to do with the service being up one day after we finally managed to order the lines...but we are not complaining now:-) In the latter part of August, we'll be heading out West to start up RainyDayLA.  This new section will launch on January 1, 2007.  It will cover all of the happenings in LA and surrounding area.  The main reason for starting this up?  We wanted a nice place to go when it is cold here in Boston :-)  If you live in LA and feel like going to parties and gala opening and such, drop us a line...we'll be happy to give you any extra tickets which we can't use.  In return for this largesse, you will have to write up that evening's event by the next day. Also, since it "never rains in Southern California," when it does, our plan is to give away something REALLY nice!  BTW...if you are interested in covering events and happenings in your part of the world, drop us a line and let's talk.  You won't get paid, but it'll give you a chance to show off your writing skills.  We may also be able to get you into some really nice parties :-)

August 4,2006

On the way back from NY, we realized that Siggraph was in Boston and it was the last day...so we stopped by and checked it out. In our hurry to get in, we left our camera in the car.  So all the photos in this segment were taken with the Motorola PEBL's camera. Wacom was showing their new Cintiq tablet.  Unlike most graphics tablets, the Cintiq lets the artist work directly on the display.  We love the idea of being able to work right on the screen and can definitely see how it would be an incredible tool for graphic artist.  Our only issue is the price.  The screen is beautiful and very high res, but if someone had, say, already spent $2000 on an Apple 22" display, it would be hard to pay another $2500 for a tablet.  Wacom does have a "payback calculator" to show how quickly the increased workflow would translate into savings...thus helping to justify the purchase.  What we would love is for Wacom to make a transparent layer which could be placed over any screen...making it a drawing tablet! There were also lots of other great stuff like new UI technology, panoramic VR goggles, 3D printers for rapid prototyping, and some very cool large projector technology from an MIT startup.  The MIT guys figured out how to take multiple low-cost projectors and seamlessly mesh their output to create a scalable projection display system.  Their technology will work with curved walls and other ultra-large display challenges.  Anyone thinking a 300" projection TV for home or office?  We'll have more on Siggraph 06 in a separate write-up.

July 28,2006

Naneu Pro may not yet be a the first name to pop into your head when asked about photographer's gear bags.  However, if they continue to innovate as they have done these past few year, we bet they will soon be at the top of the list! The Goombah has all one would expect from a photographer's gear bag.  It has a tough outer shell, lots of padding, reconfigurable dividers, etc...  There are lots of zippered internal pockets to keep all of the accessories (filters, cables, connectors, batteries, etc...) well organized. The designer of the Goombah has also incorporated modern necessities such as a padded laptop compartment.  The Goombah's padded pocket was large enough to accommodate our Apple G3. There is a lot more to this piece of gear. In our next segment, we'll show you how quickly this bag can go from carring camera gear to clothing.  We also took this bag with us to NYC on our last trip and dragged it for 20 blocks for its FirstUse test.  You will just have to wait for our review to see it all :-)

July 25,2006

Boston has a professional tennis team? YES!!!  They are called the Boston Lobsters. Oh, one of the players for the Boston Lobsters is Martina Navratilova.  RainyDayMagazine was at the Bright Arena last night making noise and watching the Lobsters win their final home match of the season. TeamTennis is fast pace, entertaining, and exciting right up to the end.  To get a sense of the action, click on the any of the clips (Ace, Action, Winner) from last night's match.     WTT events are very family oriented.  There are pre-match activities and post match autograph signing...and yes, that is Bud Collins getting some lobster at last night's event. The venue is intimate and every seat in the house is in the middle of the action.  During the match, kids can run around the arena chasing after out of bound tennis balls...can't do THAT at Wimbledon. We had a wonderful time at our first WTT event.  If you love tennis and want to see players such as Navratilova, Agassi, and Kournikova up close and personal, then get your 2007 seasons tickets now.  We will definitely be adding Boston Lobster coverage to RainyDaySports for next season!

July 17,2006

Some of you may have heard that an Apple Store is coming to downtown Boston.  Since we just got back from visiting the one in NYC, we were wondering what it would look like if that store was in the currently proposed site on Boylston Street...where the Copy Cop is now located. This mock-up is a quick an dirty Photoshop job, but it gets the idea across :-)  We'll be there to capture the construction of the real Boston store in a series of time-lapse photos.  It should make for a fun little RainyDayProject!

July 14,2006

If you have the time, a fabulous thing to do this weekend is to check out America's 400th Anniversary event at Boston's Fan Pier.  The event starts today and will be there until Wednesday and is TOTALLY FREE!!!. We had a sail on the Godspeed this morning out in the harbor.  As explained during the sail, Godspeed was "one of the three original ships that in 1607 brought America's first permanent English colonists to Jamestown, our nation's birthplace."  Visitors will have a chance to get up close and tour the Godspeed.  There will be tons of stuff for the kids to do at the various event tents.  It will be really hot this weekend, so head to the Fan Pier, cool off near the water, and help make the largest hand-made flag ever!

July 12,2006

We didn't just stuff our faces all day yesterday.  We also stood in line for two hours to get into the day's taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart...something we definitely should have made the interns do if we had brought them with us. It might not have been the best planning (3 hours of walking around the Jacob Javits and two hours of standing in line), but we did get in!  The show was REALLY funny.  We are going to watch the show again tonight to see if we can see ourselves...yeah, we are twelve year olds. Of course, we couldn't trek all the way to NYC without a pilgrimage to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue.  Click on the images if you want a closer look. The store is every bit as impressive as the location...smack in the middle of midtown Manhattan on 5th Ave.  Probably one of the most expensive pieces of real estate possible.  The store is a tourist destination...just name one other computer company that has that kind of marketing pull! We came back on the LimoLiner.  The return trip to Boston was every bit as comfortable as the trip down to NYC.  One interesting observation was that most of the passengers were women...both on business and for leisure. LimoLiner provides a safe, comfortable, travel experience, I can see why this is catching on with women. We left NYC about 11:20AM and were back in Boston by 3:30.  LimoLiner carefully chooses their travel windows to avoid rush hour traffic.  We were back in the office before the end of the day.   All we have to do now is to dig through all the gear which showed up while we were gone :-)

July 11,2006

The Gourmet FancyFoods Show was fabulous:-) There were over 2,000 vendors at the show.  Since the show was geared toward wooing distributors and buyers, samples were freely offered. We samples delicacies from all over the world.  We'll have a more thorough review of the show once we have had a chance to sort out the notes...and finish eating the samples :-)  A few vendors did stand out, though.  A company called IceRocks is taking water products a step further with premium sealed ice cubes.  Their customers were initially whiskey drinkers who demanded the best...both in the liquor and the ice used to cool it!  The water is ultra-purified comes ready for freezing.  Since the cubes are sealed, they will never pick up any flavors in the freezer nor will they evaporate while waiting to be used.  We brought some samples back...now if we can just find us some 100 year old Scotch. There was also a company called FunEnergyFoods showing a new product in the fast growing energy drink/sports bar market called KickButt Energy Ballz.  Energy Ballz are a little larger than malted milk balls, a little chewy, and both flavors (cherry and carmel) were quite tasty.  We liked the convenient size and that the product provides both nutrients and caffeine...without the liquid.  We are going to have to get some more for review for our RainyDaySports section of the magazine! We had a  very interesting chat with Valentin Humer of Food&Vine.  Valentin was extolling the virtues (high cooking temperature, lots of vitamins, and OPC) of grapeseed oil. We will follow up with Valentin and will definitely try using some of the Salute Sante! in the RainyDayKitchen.  Look for our review toward the Fall. While most were food vendors, there were a few who were related to food, but were more "hardware" focused.  PicnicTime is a company who offer baskets and picnic/grilling accessories for those who like to enjoy their fancy foods out in the wild or just out in the backyard. Hopefully, we'll have a chance to check out some of their gear and report back.

July 10,2006

The 2006 Gourmet FancyFoods Show is in NYC this week. A few of us made the trip down yesterday for it, but it is so nice out today that we may just poke around the city for the day and go to the show tomorrow :-) Every trip is, of course, an opportunity to test some travel gear InTheWild. For this trip we brought some gear we have used before and others which we have not.

July 9,2006

We are reporting live from onboard the LimoLiner today! Normally we would load up the Boxster for a trip down to the big city, but we heard about this luxury bus line with it Boston/NYC route and wanted to give it a try. What got us interested was not the Business Class comforts available on every LimoLiner--wide leather seats, comfy ride, satellite TV, food service--but the free high-speed WiFi. We wanted to see if we could really stay connected for the four and a half hour trip. It would mean we can continue to be online while we are on the road...try that on the Shuttle! So far (60 minutes into the trip)...it is working GREAT. We also met Mary...a frequent LimoLiner traveler. She makes the trip twice a month. Mary has her favorite seat and the crew knows her by name. Mary had nothing but compliments for the LimoLiner! If you make frequent trips between NYC and Boston, this may be a GREAT alternative to the Shuttle or driving. We left Boston about 60 minutes ago and I'm already sold on the concept. Oh...more later, the food is coming and the movie is about to start!!! They served some really nice sandwiches for lunch. Carolyn, our vegetarian-friendly Contributing Editor for Carolyn's World, was especially pleased with their non-meat option. It was nice to be able to watch a movie, but the RainyDayGarage guys would have added a ground loop isolator somewhere in the audio chain to take out the high pitched whine from the alternator. There were also some minor glitches with playing the DVD...probably from the occasional bumps which managed to knock the tracking completely out of whack. We would recommend LimoLiner switch to a hard drive video server instead of relying on a DVD player. Because the audio was hard to hear, they decided to switch back to satellite TV...which worked just fine and allowed us to catch the Federer/Nadal Wimbledon update. We got into midtown Manhattan at 4:15 PM. This had to be one of the most pleasant rides down to NYC I've had in...well, ever. I was able to work, to nap, to watch some TV, and arrive fully invigorated. If you need to go to Manhattan from Boston and you don't want the stress of getting to the airport, getting on the plane, then getting out of the airport on the other end, then take the LimoLiner and arrive refreshed and ready for business.

June 30,2006

All of us are looking forward to the 4th of July weekend.  The holiday is actually on Tuesday, but we've decided to give everyone the entire week off.  This weekend is the RibFest event here at the RainyDayKitchen.  Folks will likely need the rest of the week to recover :-)  If you are in Boston on the 4th, here are two free events you may want to attend: the annual turning of the USS Constitution and the fireworks on the Charles.  They are two of Boston's signature events.  Definitely come on out for them if you are in town. We took these fireworks pics last July 4th in Kendall Square.  If you are planning on heading down to the Charles to see the fireworks, do NOT bring your car.  Parking is impossible and it'll take you 3 hours to get home (all the streets will be closed). Oh, and here is our tip of the day...the three basic things to remember about shooting photos of fireworks? Use a tripod, use a tripod, and use a tripod.   Some of us will be around and will post if something interesting snaps us out of our nap.  Have a great 4th of July!!!

June 19,2006

We spent a fabulous morning in Paris and just got back this afternoon...hence the lack of actual updates on today's issue until now.  Boston MFA's upcoming exhibition, Americans In Paris (June 25th to September 24th), is an incredible collection of works from American artists who lived and painted in Paris from the 1860s to 1900. This exhibition is a joint effort by the MFA, the Met, and the National Gallery London.  The tour started in London.  The US debut is here in Boston at the MFA. There are about 100 works in the exhibit from painters such as Cassatt, Whistler, Sargent, and Homer.  Many of these are "signature pieces" and many are assembled in one place for the first time. John Singer Sargent's Mrs. White, Madame X, and The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit are all present in the exhibit.  Click on any of the thumbnails below to get a closer look.   This exhibit will be at the MFA from June 25 through September 24, 2006.  Be sure to check out the hotel packages and related events as well.  There are TONS of special restaurant related celebrations all over the city as part of the American In Paris celebration.  Be sure to check them out!!!

June 18,2006

This weekend's outing was a Sunday hike in to the outdoor garden of one of Boston's more famous buildings, the Prudential Tower.  The outdoor garden was installed a few years ago to replace the long-defunct skating rink.  The rink, which was built at the same time as the Pru, ceased operations almost immediately, because the builders situated the skating rink such that the reflection from the windows of Boston's first true skyscraper constantly melted the ice. Something about a southern exposure... After a morning of walking around, we are happy to report that the Nalgene Swift and Tom Bihn Buzz packs were just the right size for UrbanHiking.  The Julbo Dolgan sunglasses looked like they were designed for expeditions to mountain summits.  However, their wrap-around features were also perfect for hiking around the city.   We didn't have time to take the ride to the top of the Prudential Tower.  Next time we'll head to the Top Of The Hub for a look around.  We hear the restaurant is pretty good :-)

June 9,2006

The thing about having all the cool photographic and video gear is you need something to carry them while out on the job.  We have found a few companies which make great gear bags.  For carrying our camera gear, our favorite bag is from Kata. So when we needed equipment bags for our video gear, we didn't even look anywhere else.  We went straight to the Kata site and found these two beauties.  The large one (MC-61) is a full size shoulder bag.  It will accommodate most of the larger 3 CCD video cameras.  The smaller one is the waist/shoulder bag (WS-604) which will allow us to shoot from the hips.  We'll have a lot more to say about these bags in a few weeks. Just when everything was calm with our world...a new product shows up on our doorstep which raises the bar a notch.  We had firmly stated this morning that Kata-Bags are our favorite...and they are.  This afternoon, FedEx dropped of a Naneu bag which may challenge that position currently occupied by Kata. Like the Kata R102, the Naneu Mini GoomBah is sized to handle a serious amount of gear.  There is plenty of room inside the main compartment for camera bodies, lens, and accessories. There are also external pockets for smaller items.  In the center are straps and pocket (red arrow) for tying down a tripod. The Naneu MiniGoomBah is a cross between a photographer's backpack and a rolling travel case.  There are straps for putting the entire pack on your back or rolling it around on the floor. The backpack mode will be perfect for quickly getting off the plane.  Once in the terminal, extend the hidden telescopic handle and rolling the gear out to the car. There is a lot more to this piece of gear.  You will just have to wait for our FirstLook review to see it all :-) It looks like we will have enough packs for our photographic and video gear for the Summer Outing.  We'll also be bringing a few portable grills along with us for the trip :-)

May 22,2006

Some of the Xyron folks were in Manchester NH on Saturday for a CKC Scrapbooking Convention.  A few of us thought we should go check out what this phenomenon was all about.  It would also give us a chance to take a look at this new WishBlade cutter you have been pestering us to review. Ok, the first thing we realized when we walked in was these scrapbooking folks are exactly like the gamers and the Mac heads we know... they are INTENSELY committed to their interest. They attend classes and workshops.  They pack booths at the show floor.  Most importantly, they BUY lots of stuff. We sat in on Beth's class for a while and saw the Xyron products (DesignRunner, 900 Laminator, cutters) in use.  We then made our way to the Xyron booth and had a most illuminating chat with the folks there.  They showed us all their gear... yes, including the WishBlade. We took some videos of the WishBlade in action.  The files are a bit large so download may be a bit slow if you don't have a broadband connection. The WishBlade is one cool machine.  It works just like a plotter except it has a cutting blade instead of a pen. The cutter can be used to make more than just patterns, it can also be use to make cool 3-D cards and other objects.  We will definitely take a much closer look at this device and see how far we can push the capabilities of this unit.

May 3,2006

Here are some photos we took back in November 2000 from the Boston Harbor Hotel, showing the "Central Artery" portion of six-lane Interstate 93 cutting the city in half. The Artery opened in 1959 and was designed to carry about 75,000 vehicles a day. By 1991 it was carrying upwards of 200,000 a day. "The Big Dig" was begun to put all Boston traffic underground. In 2002, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge was completed, and the Big Diggers opened the bridge to foot traffic for one day prior to opening the bridge to vehicular traffic. Much of the old steel overpasses were in the process of being dismantled at this time. RainyDayMagazine was, of course, there to record the event for posterity. This weekend, we saw a view from the North End into the City that the residents of Bean Town haven't seen in almost 50 years. The Big Dig construction is just about finished, but the construction of the "green-belt" that will take its place continues. But still, the entire highway has now been moved underground! Yes, it took almost $14 billion dollars ($11.5 billion more than originally estimated), but in twenty years who is going to remember?

May 2,2006

We took a lot of gear with us on the RainyDayMagazine Spring Outing this weekend..  Some (BeyondFleece, Julbo, Brunton Echo) of the gear are new and some (Kata, Technica, Keen) we have used before.   Even though the weather was sunny, the morning temperature was still in the low 50s.  The BeyondFleece jacket was perfect for hiking the Freedom Trail.  The light weight material used did not weigh us down. We really appreciated the windproof outer shell on the bridge.  For a closer look at the details of this jacket, check out our FirstLook review here. We have had experience with both the Technica and Keen shoes on past outings.  Although most of paths were paved, quite a bit of downtown is still a mess due to the Big Dig.  So we chose footwear for this outing which were already broken in.  Both were light yet supportive...just right for hiking with day trips.  Many travelers only think to bring a pair of binoculars with them when they head out to the country.  However, hiking in the city is a perfect opportunity to use this piece of gear.  There are a lot of historic sites to visit and a lot to see in a city such as Boston.  Many have details (weather vanes on top of steeples, building facade, etc...) which are only accessible with a pair of good binoculars. The Brunton ECHO binoculars brought them in for us up-close and personal.  If you do decide to hike around your city, this is one piece of gear that is almost as important as the camera. Both the Technica boots and Keen shoes were right at home in such an environment.  We didn't bring the CamelBaks, but chose to take the Nalgene OTG bottles instead.  For eye protection we decided to go with the Julbo Dolgan sunglasses.  To track our energy usage, we hooked on a couple of BioTrainers.  We found that one of them must be malfunctioning because one of us expended 1400 calories while another had used just 77 :-) For carrying our GPS, digital camera, cell phone, and misc items we went with the Kata S-312 sling bag.  We have been using this bag more and more because of its size and ease of use.  The bag hangs at just the right level for easy access to the digital camera, yet provide superior protection due to the heavy front padding. The Julbo Dolgan sunglasses were a last minute addition to the gear list.  It turned out to be an excellent decision.  The wrap-around protection was perfect for walking past the sometimes dusty BigDig construction sites still dotting downtown Boston.

May 1,2006

The weather this weekend in Boston was perfect. We had a great time being tourists in our own city:-)  Our stay at the Onyx Hotel was FABULOUS.  Everyone was knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful.  They knew all about the area, its history, and more importantly...the best local bar for a pint. We met many of the staff over the weekend... including the hotel's friendly four months old puppy Daisy.  The Onyx is a pet friendly hotel.  The folks at the Onyx will take great care of you as well as your pet.  Go here for a closer RainyDayMagazine look at the Onyx Hotel. Hiking around the North End and the surrounding area was a lot more scenic now that the highway is gone.  The view looking back toward downtown Boston is completely different...so bright, sunny, and open! So much have changed in the North End since the highway which cut it it off from downtown had been dismantled. We've posted a few write-ups now that we had time to unpack. Speaking of unpacking...we took the Tom Bihn's new Aeronaut bag with us to test for the weekend.  This bag has got to be one of the most versatile weekender we have ever used.  We are not sure exactly how to categorize this bag.  Is it a duffle? A backpack? Or a soft suitcase?  We'll have a full review of this bag soon.  In the meantime, if you want more info, head to the Tom Bihn site here.

April 28,2006

Everybody here is busy getting ready for our SpringOuting.  In our planning meeting we realized that because it was local, we had planned WAY too many activities for this outing and it would be impossible to get it all done in one weekend.  So we have decided to break up the SpringOuting into two weekends... these interns here at RainyDayMagazine have it SO tough :-) Our home base for the SpringOuting will be the fabulous Onyx Hotel in Boston.  The Onyx is one of Boston's newly renovated luxury boutique hotels.  We chose the Onyx for its "in the middle of everything" location. This weekend the "urban hikes" will be around the city of Boston (Freedom Trail, North End, etc...).  Next weekend the hikes will be around Boston's Emerald Necklace. As with the WinterOuting, we have assembled a fantastic collection of gear which we'll put to the test over the next two weekends. The gear for the 2006 SpringOuting are from the following vendors: BeyondFleece: Olympus Jacket BioTrainer : Physical Activities Tracker Brunton: Echo field binoculars Julbo: MicroPore, Dolgan Kata Bags: S-312 Sling bag Kombi gloves: BackCountry Magellan GPS: DirectRoute and Topo 3D maps Motorola: RAZR (Verizon VCAST, T-Mobile) Nalgene: water bottles (OTG,N-Gen ) 180s: convertible gloves Tom Bihn: Aeronaunt, BrainBag Even though it is the end of April, the weather here in Boston is still pretty chilly.  Normally, we would be wearing a jacket made with PolarTec or some other kind of fleece.  For this trip, we'll be trying a piece of gear from a small company called BeyondFleece.  You can't buy their jackets at your local EMS or CitySports.  They can only be ordered via the BeyondFleece website. What you get is a custom-fitted jacket with exactly the options you want.  We have had this jacket for a few weeks and most of us have worn it around for various hops out of the office.  We have been EXTREMELY impressed with both the fit and the tailoring of this piece of gear!  We'll be using the BioTrainer to track our energy expenditure during this outing.  Our goal is to start collecting data using this device to see if what we are calling "urban hiking" is as much of a workout as "real" hiking we do out in the country. To transport all of our gear, we got some AMAZING bags from Tom Bihn.  The folks at Tom Bihn make some of the highest quality soft bags we have ever had the pleasure to use.  The designs are all unique to them.  They are functional, well engineered, AND great looking. The weather this weekend in Boston is supposed to be in the high 50's but sunny.  To cut down on all the glare and reflection from Boston's skyscrapers, we'll be sporting mountaineering sunglasses from Julbo.  For those in the know, Julbos are the ones to have when venturing out...whether it is to the top of a mountain or Top Of the Hub. When we went on the WinterOuting, we brought along the Magellan GPS to help us in the backcountry.  For navigating the streets of Boston, we will be loading the Magellan DirectRoute Street Maps on to our eXplorist 500. To get everyone back to the hotel bar at the same time, we'll be taking along the Motorola RAZR.  It would also be a good opportunity to test out the cellular coverage of both Verizon and T-Mobile. For the sights that are too distant from the hotel, we'll be bringing them closer with the Brunton ECHO field binoculars.  We'll probably get more use out of them next weekend on the Emerald Necklace hike for bird sightings, but we are going to bring them with us just in case...for celebrity sightings.

April 11, 2006

Some of the RainyDayGarage folks are heading to NYC for the New York International Auto Show.  We asked them to take some of the new gear we just got in and see how they perform on the road.

March 27, 2006

Need to take three laptops with you when you travel? We sometimes do.  That's when we reach for our Slappa Fliptop Pro bag.  Need a rugged laptop case that is a breed apart?  Then the Slappa HardBody Pro may just be what you are looking for. We took a close look at both cases and found them to be like all other Slappa cases... innovative in design, constructed with high quality materials, and really comfortable to use.

March 19, 2006

The Vernal or Spring Equinox is just a few days away.  We took a quick hike in the Blue Hills today to see if we could detect any signs of Spring. We did a quick five mile hike around Fowl Meadow and are happy to report that even though the air temperature was 36º, things are starting to feel more Spring than Winter and the birds are definitely chirpin'.  Of course, we are hoping for one more large snow storm before it is all over. If you want to get away for the weekend but don't want to have to do too much planning ahead of time, go to Mohegan Sun.  There is SO much to do there besides gambling that you and your significant other will be thoroughly entertained for the weekend!         We know YOU are ready to go, but if your significant other still needs more convincing, point them to Carolyn's write-up of her trip to Mohegan Sun.  Also, to answer one of our reader's (Eric) question... Yes, it is possible to "spam your own blog" :-)

March 17, 2006

If you need to be totally "Off The Grid", you can always hook up the Xantrex XPower Powerpack 100 to a Brunton SolarRoll and power all your digital gear using the sun.  It won't run your air conditioner, but it will power your laptop, PDA, cell phone, and other assorted electronics gear without requiring you to bring along a host of adapter plugs.  However, you will have to bring all the specific AC adapter for all those devices :-) So if you are looking for a portable AC outlet, this XPower Pocket Powerpack 100 should be at the top of your shopping list.

March 16, 2006

Need to take three laptops with you when you travel? We sometimes do.  That's when we reach for our Slappa Fliptop Pro bag.  There will be a full review of the Fliptop in a few weeks. To make things a little more fun for us... if you think you can identify all three laptops in the bag, drop us an email.  We'll send the first person to correctly name all three a little something "fun" :-)  Speaking of something "fun", Slappa has just announced one awesome looking bag/backpack. This one is called the Spyder.  We have not seen it in person yet, but when we have a chance to a take a look, we'll give you the usual detailed report. One bag we do have on hand and are REALLY blown away by is the Marsus.  This bag is both luxurious and functional.  The details are amazing and it is nothing like any bag we have seen anywhere. This Marsus pack is covered with napa leather, fitted with polished nickel buckles, and lined in satin!  It also has enough pockets and compartments to keep everything in its proper place.  THIS is the bag we carry to go with our Armani suits :-)  A full review of this Marsus DV01A is coming in April.

March 15, 2006

A few years ago we when to our first Paradise City Arts Festival out in Marlborough MA.  We have heard really good things about the show, but wasn't really expected to be as blown away as we were! Most of you know we love spending time at the MFA.  The problem is the guards at the MFA REALLY frown upon us touching any of the objects in the museum :-)  At the Paradise City Arts Festival, they not only encourage you to touch things... if you really like it, you can even BUY it! Another great thing about the Festival is most of the artists are on hand to answer questions about their work. The 2006 festival will have over 170 artists from all over the US.  It is only about 30 minutes outside of Boston.  If you have time this weekend, it is a great way to spend day.  Look for us and say "Hi!"

March 11, 2006

Jay & Lisa were at the New England Home Show a few weekends ago checking out the latest for a new section of the magazine scheduled to launch in June.  This new section will focus on home renovation and all of related things (tools, tech, tips, etc...) We think the new RainyDayRenovation section will be a great place to learn more about the latest in technology for the home... whether it be keyless door locks, home media servers, or high efficiency home heating systems!  If there are topics or gear you would like us to cover, just drop us a note here!

March 7, 2006

We've been going to South Beach for the past six years.   The tradition started when we all decided to go there to celebrate one of the RDM's senior writer's birthday one year.  Some of us loved it so much that we kept going back. We ventured a little bit further north (about a mile) from the main beach this year for our hotel accommodations.  We stayed at the newly renovated Indian Creek Hotel. It is a small hotel, but it has a wonderful lobby, courtyard, and pool.  The courtyard and pool area is surrounded by tall palm trees, creating an intimate setting and blocking out the traffic noise. The weather this year was PERFECT.  It was 75º when we landed and stayed that way the entire weekend.  Go read the trip report here. Spring Break is just starting. There is still time to find some last minute deals!

March 6, 2006

All of that will be coming soon, but since we all just got back after a few fabulous days in the South Beach sun... it will have to wait until folks have readjusted to the 30º New England weather! A few dedicated RainyDayMagazine contributors decided they would stay another week and venture up to Ft. Lauderdale to scout out some possible destinations for next year.  We'll let you know what they find... when or if they ever come back to the office:-)

February 28, 2006

Every year around this time, RainyDayMagazine heads to South Beach for a little fun and relaxation.  The time seems to be perfect this year as Boston heads toward the single digits. We usually stay at the Richmond, but this year we wanted to try something new.  So we ventured a little further from the main drag and made our reservations at the newly renovated boutique hotel called Indian Creek.  We'll let you know how things are at Indian Creek... we are hoping to be able to post a few updates during the trip.

February 23, 2006

Some of you may have been hunkered down at home during that huge snow storm a few weeks ago.  Not so for one of our contributing editors!  Carolyn raced the oncoming weather and found her way to the Elemis Spa so she could complete her assignment on "non gaming activities" at Mohegan Sun. Unfortunately, Carolyn had to stay at Mohegan Sun the entire weekend due to the weather.  Fortunately, she was able to keep herself entertained by dining at fine restaurants and going to shows.  Carolyn also volunteered for RainyDayMagazine's South Beach SpringBreak assignment in March.  She is very dedicated :-) On Tuesday, we reported we had been working on getting the SmartPhone version of the CoPilot GPS Live software up and running.  The first two parts of the CoPilot SmartPhone series are now posted.  First is an overview of the Motorola MPX220 SmartPhone. Second is a review of the SanDisk miniSD card we needed for holding the GPS map data.  We'll have more on the CoPilot GPS Live installation process next week.

February 17, 2006

RainyDayMagazine had an opportunity to attend the press conference for the upcoming David Hockney exhibit at the MFA.  While many people associate the artist with his iconic landscape paintings, this press conference was to announce the first exhibit devoted solely to portraits painted by the artist. The curators for this exhibition did an amazing job of presenting 162 of Hockney's portraiture works, spanning 50 years.  There are oils, drawings, watercolors, and photographs.  We encourage all our New England RainyDayMagazine readers to go and see this wonderful exhibit when it opens on February 26!  To get small preview, check out our RainyDayDestination report here.

February 14, 2006

It's Valentine's Day.  If you have not decided what to get your girl, I have 3 words.... Spa Gift Certificates.  Most of the guys here at RainyDayMagazine have no idea why they work, but Spa Gift Certificates have magical powers :-)  Just give one to your sweetie and see what happens. Here is another tip... there is a really great Spa at Mohegan Sun.  If you are dying to go play a little Blackjack, but your girl is a little reluctant...get her a gift certificate to Elemis.  It'll be our secret :-) BTW... what are the top three things NOT to get you cutie pie??? The VERY top of the list is a gym membership.  If that thought even crossed you mind, go get the hammer and hit youself on the head with it.  Another is lingerie.  If she buys it, it's fine...if you buy it, it had better be in your size because it's not really for her, it's for you.  The last on the list is ANYthing with a plug.  We don't get it either, but these items have been time tested failures.  The basic rule for today is, don't try to understand it... just go with what works, go get a Spa gift certificate :-)

February 13, 2006

Today was our last day Mohegan Sun.  We've been here since Saturday afternoon, totally isolated from all the weather raging outside, checking out all of the "non-gaming" activities.  We have had a great visit but regrettably it was time to head back to Boston and dig out the driveway :-)

February 12, 2006

We had not planned on it, but it worked out that we spent the entire stormy weekend at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.  It actually turned out to be a fantastic way to ride out a storm!!!  We'll have a write-up of our trip in a few days :-)

February 3, 2006

RainyDayMagazine got a reservation at the Wentworth Inn in Jackson, New Hampshire for a couple of nights.  We didn't get as early a start as we would have liked, but we managed to get all the gear into the Boxster and got on the road around 11am.  It took about 2 hours to get there from Boston. We got to the Wentworth Inn in mid-afternoon.  There was plenty of daylight left for us to take a look around. The next day we headed out to The Great Glen Trail for our snowshoe trek.  The folks at the Inn assured us this was the best place to go since Great Glen had really good snow making equipment. It was not a very busy day so we were able to check in and were on the trail in less than 15 minutes.  We thought we would hike around on the groomed trails (green) in the morning and head out to the backcountry trails (orange) after lunch. After lunch we decided to hike the Aqueduct Loop.  This loop had some mild elevation changes and should take us through some woods and some open fields.  Finally we all emerged out of the woods intacted.  There was still some daylight left, but I think most of the afternoon will be spent soaking in the jacuzzi back at the Inn :-) Go read the entire Winter Outing report here.  For the next outing, we'll be heading to South Beach for Spring Break and to check out some Summer gear.  This is exhausting work!!!

February 2, 2006

We know we have been covering a lot of tech stuff lately.  Some of you have let us know in no uncertain terms that you want to read more travel related stuff:-)  Since we are EVER so responsive to our readers, we have decided to give you a preview of February's RainyDayDestination now instead of when we got back :-) Many of you readers enjoy visiting casinos and most would love to bring your significant other.  Quite a few of you have asked us to recommend non-gaming/alternative activities for your spouses and partners at various gaming establishments.  As part of our 2006 RainyDayDestinations reviews, we have decide to take on that project first hand!  Yes...we are going to let some of the folks here take a break from installing software on 5 year old machines, trying to install the latest Bluetooth gear on discontinued hardware, and thinking of ways to backup a 400GB media server with a push of a button :-) Instead, we are going to send them to Mohegan Sun in Conneticut for a few days to check out all of the non-gaming alternatives at the casino.  We are going to make them go to shows, eat at different restaurants, get wrapped in things and soak until they get all wrinkly. I was bracing myself for the complaints, but since the project was announced last week, everyone has been strangely nice to me in the office.  Frankly, I'm a little worried.

January 31, 2006

Here is a new piece of Slappa gear for the road warrior.  The BulkHead PRO is a travel bag that is made up of 4 smaller separate units so the traveler can take just what is needed for the trip. Each bag is individually padded to protect its content.  If the BulkHead PRO is anything like the other stuff we have seen from Slappa, you can be sure it is built to TAKE IT.

January 25, 2006

Kite Aerial Photography (KAP) has been a growing segment of the panorama photography crowd for the past couple of years.  One of the best "How-To" sites on making your own KAP rig is the one from Scott Haefner. Definitely check out his 360º Pano gallery!  Scott's photos have us inspired. We are thinking seriously of making our own RainyDayMagazine EyeInTheSkyCAM ourselves!

January 24, 2006

We took a some time out yesterday to play in the little storm that hit Boston during the morning rush hour.  Instead of fighting the traffic, we strapped on the Tubbs and headed to the Arboretum.  It was pretty quiet there and the snow was fresh...but quite heavy.  By the time we left, the snow had stopped falling and had already started to melt.  Got to get out when there is a chance.  Besides, what's the point of having interns if you don't let them DO anything:-)

January 20, 2006

Not that the folks in the RainyDayKitchen don't make great food, but once in a while it's great to go out for a special treat...especially if they get to put it on RainyDayMagazine's tab :-) Some of the folks were up in Jackson NH last week testing a bunch of winter gear for RainyDaySports.  While the warm weather didn't make for the best snowshoeing, they reported that they had the most amazing meal at the Wentworth Inn.  We don't remember anybody bringing any doggy bags home for those of us back at the office!

January 12, 2006

A few of us just got back from a couple of days in New Hampshire testing some winter gear for RainyDaySports.  The weather was a lot warmer than we expected so we had a wetter time than we had planned.  We'll be writing up the gear reviews in the next couple of days, but we wanted to give a quick mention to our fabulous hosts at the Wentworth Inn!  This inn was one of the nicest places we have stayed at in New Hampshire.   The accommodation, food, and service were all fabulous.  We have a lot more pics, but we are saving them for the trip report :-)

January 5, 2006

We have been using GPS devices for about six years now.  The earlier devices were hard to use, had little in the way of features, and were expensive.  The newer devices (Navman, US Globalsat, Magellan) are much easier to use, have a lot of different viewing options, and are a lot cheaper. The ALK folks have always been at the head of the pack when it came to GPS software, so when their CoPilot Live 6.0 version was released, we decided it was time to take a look.  The FirstLook review will take a quick look at the CoPilot Live 6.0 package and what we'll need to get it working with the iPaq 3850 PDA. In this series of reviews, we will take you through the steps (upgrading the iPaq to PocketPC 2003, adding the Belkin Bluetooth card, installing the CoPilot software, loading the data, etc...) needed to get this GPS to work with an iPaq 3850 PDA.

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